Council launches ‘No Food Waste’ campaign

Diverting the amount of food waste currently sent to landfill to recycling could save £800,000 a year, according to Belfast City Council.

The assertion comes as the Council last night (Monday 3 April) adopted new measures to reduce the amount of food waste put into black bins.

To help inform residents of the changes, stickers saying ‘No Food Waste’ will be placed on residual waste bins as they are collected, and letters outlining the changes will be delivered to households across the city. Information on what waste goes into which bin can be found on the Council’s website, at www.belfastcity.gov.uk/bins.

“In Belfast, despite a food waste collection service being available for every household, approximately 25 per cent of the waste in black bins is still food waste,” explained Councillor Matt Garrett, Chair of the Council’s People and Communities Committee.

“If this waste was diverted into a food waste caddy or brown bin for composting, instead of landfilling, the Council could save around £800,000 each year,” he pointed out.

“Results from neighbouring councils which have adopted this approach already have shown an immediate rise in the amounts of food waste collected of around 20 per cent - which, if applied to Belfast could also contribute around one per cent to the city’s recycling rate.”

At its meeting last night, the Council agreed to the adoption of operational guidelines for the scheme. This includes a six month transition period, which will allow households which may not have them to get the necessary caddies and bins. They also outline the process for introducing and enforcing the changes once they become fully operational later this year.